Elvis Presley's controversial physician 'Dr. Nick' dies at 88

George Nichopoulos, the controversial personal physician who treated Elvis Presley, died Wednesday, Memphis' Commercial Appeal reports. He was 88.

Nichopoulos, also known as "Dr. Nick," was accused of over-prescribing drugs to Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and other patients, but was acquitted of those charges in 1981.

Nichopoulos told the Commercial Appeal in 2009 that the drugs he prescribed to Presley were "necessities," adding that he didn't want to be thought of as having hastened Presley's death in 1977 at age 42.

Singer Elvis Presley and his bride, the former Priscilla Beaulieu, are shown at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas, Nev., after their wedding on May 1, 1967. Presley, 32, and Beaulieu, 21, both from Memphis, Tenn., met while he was stationed in Germany with the U.S. Army. (AP Photo)

Singer Elvis Presley and Priscilla Ann Beaulieu are shown being married in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 1, 1967 by Nevada Supreme Court Justice David Zenoff. It was the first marriage for both Elvis and Priscilla. (AP Photo)

Singer Elvis Presley gives his new bride, the former Priscilla Beaulieu, a kiss for photographers just after their wedding May 1, 1967, in Las Vegas. Presley, 32, and Miss Beaulieu, 21, met while he was stationed in Germany with the Army. It is the first wedding for each. They plan to live in Memphis, the hometown of both. (AP Photo)

FILE - This 1972 file photo shows Elvis Presley, the King of Rock "n" Roll, during a performance. The former Beverly Hills home of the late Elvis Presley and his wife Priscilla is up for sale for a cool $12.9 million. Real estate website operator Trulia says the home hit the market Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2012. (AP Photo, file)

âFredâ, the celebrated cocatoo who was one the stars of the old â Barettaâ television series, gives a kiss to Priscilla Presley, former wife of late singer Elvis Presley and a co-star of ABCâs âthose amazing animalsâ seriesâ during break in auditions for the show at Universal studios in Los Angeles on Saturday, Jan. 12, 1981. Hundreds of people and pets turned out for the auditions of animals for a possible appearance on the show. (AP Photo/Saxon Reed)

Head and Shoulder shots of Priscilla Presley former wife of Elvis Presley smiling October 17 1979. (AP Photo/Dave Pickoff)

In this photo taken Thursday, May 10, 2012, singer Lisa Marie Presley poses for a photo in West Hollywood, Calif. The only child of Elvis and Priscilla Presley, Lisa Marie started writing music again after moving to Kent, southeast of London, several years ago. This led to her third album, "Storm and Grace," produced by T Bone Burnett with a slow-rolling, swampy but warm Americana sound. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Priscilla Presley stands in the "60 years of Elvis" exhibit inside an annex at Graceland on Friday, Feb. 21, 2014, in Memphis, Tenn. The exhibit, which opens Monday, Feb. 24, 2014 features jump suits worn by Presley, an organ played in his California home, a copy of the original âThatâs All Rightâ record and other miscellaneous Elvis items. (AP Photo/Lance Murphey)

Priscilla Presley stands in the "60 years of Elvis" exhibit inside an annex at Graceland on Friday, Feb. 21, 2014, in Memphis, Tenn. The exhibit, which opens Monday, Feb. 24, 2014 features jump suits worn by Presley, an organ played in his California home, a copy of the original âThatâs All Rightâ record and other miscellaneous Elvis items. (AP Photo/Lance Murphey)

Outside an airport terminal building, fifteen-year-old American Priscilla Beaulieu stands amid a group of fans as she says goodbye to her then-boyfriend (and future husband) the soon-to-be-discharged US Army Sergeant (and popular singer) Elvis Presley, Friedberg, Germany, March 2, 1960. (Photo by James Whitmore/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)

Tennessee, USA, 5th February 1968, Rock & Roll star Elvis Presley with his wife Priscilla proudly show their new born baby, 4 day old Lisa Marie, at the Baptist Hospital in Memphis (Photo by Popperfoto/Getty Images)

The King would have been 80 years old on Friday. January 7th marks what would have been Elvis Presley 's 80th birthday. To commemorate the event, Legacy Recordings have planned a yearlong celebration of Presley's music for modern-day Elvis fans. First up, the singer's The Complete '60s Albums Collection Volumbe One has been released onto iTunes. The set highlights all the LPs Presley recorded between 1960 and 1965 with newly mastered sound for the digital medium.

Lisa Marie Presley poses for her first picture, safe in the lap of her mother, Priscilla, on February 5, 1968, while proud father, Elvis Presley, beams his approval. The baby is the first child for Elvis and his wife, the former Priscilla Beaulieu. (AP Photo/Perry Aycock)

Singer Elvis Presley gestures during a press conference inside his private railroad car at Los Angeles Union Station, California, United States as he arrived on April 20, 1960 to make a movie. (AP Photo/HPM)

South African dancer and actress Juliet Prowse has been in America only 18 months, but already sheâs beguiled both Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley. Here she plays opposite Presley in âG.I. Bluesâ in Hollywood, Los Angeles on July 6, 1960. Scenes like this have developed into dates, which Juliet successfully has managed to juggle between dates with Sinatra. (AP Photo)

Elvis Presley shown as a Hollywood star kidnapped in the Middle East in the 1965 film, "Harem Scarem". (AP Photo)

'MANDATORY MENTION OF THE ARTIST UPON PUBLICATION'
An Elvis Presley signed photograph, estimated between $100 and $1500, is displayed during a press preview at auction house Bonham's in Hollywood, California, on November 15, 2012, where Charlie Chaplin's iconic bowler hat and cane are to go under the hammer in this weekend as part of an auction which also includes the John Lennon nude drawing of himself and Yoko Ono, part of the Lennon lot estomated between $18,000 and $22,000 , among memorabilia from other artists. The hat and cane trademark of Chaplin's Little Tramp character are in 'remarkable condition' and are estimated to go for between $40,000 and $60,000 at the sale by auction house Bonhams on Sunday November 18. AFP PHOTO / Frederic J. BROWN == RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE, MANDATORY MENTION OF THE ARTIST UPON PUBLICATION, TO ILLUSTRATE THE EVENT AS SPECIFIED IN THE CAPTION == (Photo credit should read FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images)

Elvis Presley, right, and Horace Logan, left, pose with disc jockey Ed Hamilton backstage at the Louisiana Hayride in Shreveport, La., in an undated photo. In October 1954 Logan introduced the teen-age Elvis Presley to America by saying "Ladies and gentlemen, you've never heard of this young man before, but one day you'll be able to tell your children and grandchildren you heard musical history made tonight." (AP Photo/Louisiana Hayride)

Elvis Presley is shown performing in this undated photo at an unknown location. (AP Photo)

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 21: An autographed pair of Elvis Presley's original blue suede shoes and a photo of him autographing them on auction at Gotta Have It! store on March 21, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)

A 45 rpm record of, "I forgot to remember to forget," is one of the items in a new "60 years of Elvis" exhibit sits inside an annex at Graceland on Friday, Feb. 21, 2014, in Memphis, Tenn. The exhibit features jump suits worn by Presley, an organ played in his California home, a copy of the original âThatâs All Rightâ record and other miscellaneous Elvis items. (AP Photo/Lance Murphey)

Tim Greeway/Staff Photographer: the watch that was owned by Elvis Presley is on sale at Windham Jewelry in Windham on August 11, 2011. (Photo by Tim Greenway/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images)

Army photographs of Elvis Presley are seen during the preview day of the 'Icons and Idols' and 'property from the life and career of Johnny Cash' auctions at Julien's Auctions in Beverly Hills, California on November 19. 2010. The auctions will be held in Beverly Hills next December 3 and 4. AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS (Photo credit should read GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images)

An Elvis Presley red velour pullover is seen during the preview day of the 'Icons and Idols' and 'property from the life and career of Johnny Cash' auctions at Julien's Auctions in Beverly Hills, California on November 19. 2010. The auctions will be held in Beverly Hills next December 3 and 4. AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS (Photo credit should read GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images)

Elvis Presley items are seen during the preview day of the 'Icons and Idols' and 'property from the life and career of Johnny Cash' auctions at Julien's Auctions in Beverly Hills, California on November 19. 2010. The auctions will be held in Beverly Hills next December 3 and 4. AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS (Photo credit should read GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images)

Dan Hahn, of Scarsdale, N.Y., listens to the music of Elvis Presley, as Presley's last guitar he played live in concert, far right, is now on display now at the Musical Instrument Museum Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2011, in Phoenix. The 1975 Martin D-28 acoustic guitar is the one Elvis played during his 1977 tours, including his last concert on June 26, 1977, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Singer Elvis Presley in an undated photo. (AP Photo)

The grave of Elvis Presley at Graceland, Presley's home in Memphis, Tenn., is seen on Friday, Jan. 8, 2010, Presley's 75th birthday. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

A new exhibit is going up at Masur Museum in Monroe, La., that features photographs of a young Elvis Presley on the stage of the Louisiana Hayride in Shreveport, La. The show focuses on 40 black and white photographs taken by Shreveport photojournalists Jack Barham and Langston McEachern, most depicting Elvis in his final performance in Shreveport on Dec. 15, 1956. (AP Photo,file)

Nancy Anderson, 89, a former reporter and West Coast editor of Photoplay magazine, looks through an old issue featuring Elvis Presley on the cover at her home in Bell Buckle, Tenn., Jan. 5, 2008. Anderson's first interview with Presley led to a friendship that lasted until his death in 1977 and continues today with the family of the late singer. Presley would have turned 73 on Tuesday, Jan. 8.(AP Photo/Jeff Adkins)

Displayed on Sunday, Jan. 8, 2006, in Beverly Hills, Calif., are two original ticket stubs to the Ed Sullivan show when Elvis Presley appeared in 1956. The stubs are with the original ticket folder. They're expected to auction for $25,000. (AP Photo/Ric Francis)

FILE - This 1964 file photo originally released by MGM shows Elvis Presley. Television and radio personality Wink Martindale and Jenna Bush Hager, daughter of former President George W. Bush, attended the annual birthday party at Presley's longtime Memphis home on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2014. The event featured a cake cutting and the singing of "Happy Birthday" by 16-year-old Canadian David Thibault. Presley was born in Tupelo, Miss., on Jan. 8, 1935, and moved to Memphis with his parents at age 13. He was 42 when he died Aug. 16, 1977. (AP Photo/MGM, File)

Elvis Presley is seen as a honky-tonk performer on the midway in this photo from the 1964 MGM film "Roustabout". (AP Photo)

This is a publicity photo from the 1960 film "G.I. Blues", starring Elvis Presley as a guitar playing tank gunner with the American Army in West Germany. (AP Photo)

Elvis Presley, a camera enthusiast, finds a favorite subject in his newest leading lady, Judy Tyler, on the set of MGM's "Jailhouse Rock", July 8, 1957. Whenever he wasn't in a scene, Elvis grabbed his camera to shoot his fellow players and the activity on the movie set. (AP Photo)

A publicity photo from the 1957 film, "Jailhouse Rock", in which Elvis Presley plays a convict who becomes a rock star. (AP Photo)

Elvis Presley is seen relaxing in 1958. (AP Photo)

Elvis Presley and Rudy Vallee, each a singing legend of his era, meet for the first time in this Hollywood photo as they report for work in a new movie, "Live a Little, Love a Little", May 13, 1968. (AP Photo)

Elvis Presley displays his Sergeants stripes in his home in Bad Nauheim, Germany, on Jan. 21, 1960. He was promoted to acting sergeant and squad leader in the 3rd armoured divisions 32nd armour scout platoon yesterday. His promotion doesnt mean a raise in pay. It is only temporary. As acting Sergeant Presley now commands a three-man reconnaisance team of his own. The singers service time is up in March. (AP Photo/Lindlar)